Friends remember teen after crash

by Lou Gulino

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:44:26 GMT —

An Oswego County community is in mourning after the death of a local teenager.

Sean Gronau, 17, was killed when the pickup truck he was riding in crashed into a parked farm vehicle loaded with corn. The driver, Eric Wilsey of Fulton, was taken to University Hospital and listed in stable condition.

Gronau was a junior at Phoenix High School. The faculty says he was a student who could brighten anyone's day.

"He just wanted to make people happy," says Principal Gregory Molloy. "He wanted to make people smile, and the faculty I spoke with loved seeing him in the morning and throughout the day."

The school is offering counseling services to any students who need them, and some students are working on a memory book in Gronau's honor.

Gronau's friends say he was an avid outdoorsman, who loved hunting and fishing. They say he was going on a fishing trip at the time of the crash. Gronau's best friend, Anthony Sokolowski, says Gronau had big plans for the future, possibly to own his own business or become a hunting guide.

"His personality was just great all around when it came to meeting people, especially new people," says Sokolowski. "He was a good friend. He was a great friend."

Original Story:

A 17-year-old Oswego County teen was killed when the pickup truck he was riding in slammed into a parked farm vehicle loaded with corn.

It happened on Peter Scott Road in Pennellville just before 7:00 Monday night.

State Police say the vehicle was parked partially in the driving lane. The victim was identified as Sean Gronau.

Sean was a junior at Phoenix High School. His friends say he loved fishing and hiking.

The driver of the Toyota Tundra pickup truck was identified as Eric Wilsey of Rathburn Road in Fulton. He was transported to Upstate University Hospital with internal injuries.

The farm vehicle was not occupied at the time, but was loaded with corn. State Police say it is registered to Lawrence Wilkinson of La Robardiere Road in Mexico. Troopers say he had been contracted to harvest corn in the adjacent farm field.

No tickets have been issued at this time, and the State Police accident reconstruction team continues to investigate.